Very good. I hated how it didn't let you actually solve many of the puzzles. I wish there was more...interaction besides running around and doing random combat.

The combat was the same for me, I mostly end up just having to make my top-screen attack wildly and randomly while I focus on Neku's combat on the bottom. It took me a few hours for the headaches caused by this game to finally wear away.

The combat system can be set to auto, but you get better results if you are able to manage it yourself.The food system is a bit pointless, but required in order to get the 100% of the game (in b4 crazy skills etc)Same happens with the clothes and all that useless stuff.

Nicely done - I was expecting a JRPG review sooner rather than later, and lo and behold, when it shows up, you tear into it in no uncertain terms.

I'm kinda surprised that the market for this sort of stuff is still there, considering it's really just the same format over and over again, but hey, if it'll part sweaty Otakus from their hard-earned cash, then whatever.

Also it's not an e-mail address anymore? How clever, not to mention wise, as I think Yahtzee's gone and pissed off Nintendo fanboys, trigger happy fanboys and now JRPG fanboys. Mailboxes aren't meant to hold all of that grammatically horrid vomiting hate.

Unless Escapist is handing him these games to review, he needs to just stop reviewing them and do something he's not already going to dislike in it's entirety - which leads to, in my opinion, a less than stellar job (go watch SimCities review to get what I mean.)

What we know about Yahtzee:

1.) He hates JRPGS2.) He hates People.3.) He hates JRPGS.

It's called a genre for a reason, and I haven't seen anything change in it since Chronotrigger (the last good one).

Yahtzee, next week, just pre-review every JRPG to come out in the next ten years and tell us it's really going to suck - you won't be telling us anything new, and ten years from now you can say 'I told you so'.

Once again, an excellent review. I get the feeling that you didn't hate it as much as you do most JRPGs, but then again for you I guess that's like saying that it's better being stabbed four times instead of five. Meanwhile, I do like most JRPGs, but I can't play this one because I don't have a DS. Oh well.

Wow, that well sums up why Yahtzee doesn't like JRPG's and when you weren't completely enthralled by the genre at a young age (as I was) they are quite valid criticisms.

I still will NEVER understand the MASSIVE hate on for turn based combat. I can understand not liking random encounters, number crunchy equipment/ability management and emolicious femmy heroes but I always find realtime (in RPG's) either too spastic or meaningless (except in Mass Effect, because I'm good at shooting things). I also like Turn Based Strategy Games, because the Strategy feels more strategic, less like a twitch based random fest. Sometimes in Action RPG's I feel like I'm doing nothing but pushing a single button and then executing an attack that I have to PRAY hits everything. But there's no getting through to the new generation, so I'll just live in the past with my Shadow Hearts Games, Old Final Fantasy Titles and occasional essoteric treat and hope that at least some game developers will keep making these games.

I'm kinda surprised that the market for this sort of stuff is still there, considering it's really just the same format over and over again, but hey, if it'll part sweaty Otakus from their hard-earned cash, then whatever.

and say shooters aren't? ;)

The strategy guide thing bugs me too, no idea what kind of idiot would actually want to buy a strategy guide for a JRPG.

Because a lot of dialog choices and sidequests can alter certain events. So it's more of a storyline guide.

The combat system can be set to auto, but you get better results if you are able to manage it yourself.The food system is a bit pointless, but required in order to get the 100% of the game (in b4 crazy skills etc)Same happens with the clothes and all that useless stuff.

I thought it was original, and I liked it.

Edit: Happy Birthday!

The food system, I like. The fashion system, I ignore unless it comes to the walls that require a certain fashion. The soundtrack to it, is bloody brilliant (in my opinion). Also I didn't mind the dialogue scenes.

k, this is officially creepy... I was just listening to "It's the end of the world as we know it" before checking out this review...

GET OUT OF MY HEAD BEN.

Anyways, awesome review, I feel yahtzee once again hit the main point on the head (and then on the testicles for good measure). The major problem with most games is that you, the player, seem to contribute bugger all to the story... It's as if you're some kind of alter ego of the main character that takes over in fights and whenever moving around is required since the "other ego" is a lazy cunt... Like I'm stuck being this character I'm not and don't identify with the least... This was always what upset me the most about most games I've ever played... I reckon there's a limit to what developers can do, but if there's something that immediately sells a game for me is when they take the hitman/splinter cell approach: "This is the objective, these are the rules, get it done however you see fit".

Although I can play JRPGs and withstand most of the gameplay, I have to agree on nearly everything you've said. The combat system has left me with a twitch in my left eye and I'm getting sick of these uber-cool Japanese stock characters in games. You might as well shove some of those Japanese bints from a Gwen Stefani video in there.